The Modesto Bee reported Monday that the San Francisco-Modesto service that SkyWest provides for United Express will be canceled because of poor performance.

United Express provides regional service to Modesto, Chico and other communities for United Airlines, the latter of which apparently supported the cancellation decision, according to the Bee article.

A SkyWest spokeswoman said there are no announcements about service in Chico.

That move by SkyWest will leave Modesto without commercial air service, although city leaders have been working to obtain new service to Los Angeles.

Former Chico mayor Karl Ory, who now serves on the Chico Airport Commission, has been concerned a similar decision could come down on Chico.

"It is worrisome," said Ory about Modesto. He had posted the Bee article on his Facebook page.

"It lends credibility to the recent meeting where the Airport Commission and business community raised concerns about the stability of the Chico market," Ory told this newspaper.

"I'm just raising concerns, but it seems to be timely," said Ory because of the similarities with Chico.

SkyWest had provided round-trip service between San Francisco and Modesto three times a day in a turboprop plane since 1998. SkyWest provides three round-trip flights to Chico.

SkyWest spokesperson Marrisa Snow told the Bee that "poor performance in the market" prompted the decision. A United spokesperson told the Bee the decision might be reconsidered if circumstances changed.

A call to SkyWest was not returned Tuesday, but Wednesday, SkyWest's Snow said there are no current plans to change Chico's service.

"We don't currently have other announcements," Snow told this newspaper today. "The best way for a community to keep its service is to use it," she added.

Snow said the company regularly reviews location performances.

Debbie Collins, management analyst for the Chico airport, said she got a call Friday from Modesto's airport manager inquiring if similar news had been delivered to Chico. It had not, she said, adding that she called the Redding Airport, which had not received that message either.

"So at this point neither Chico or Redding have been impacted," she said in an email.

Butte County's only commercial service, SkyWest only provides the Chico-San Francisco service here.

Passenger numbers for the Modesto service dropped from 22,985 in 2010 to 10,895 last year, according to the article.

A decline was also felt in Chico, according to the city. It registered 23,270 passengers in 2010, 19,267 in 2012, and tracked 8,088 in the first six months of 2013, the latest information that could be obtained.

Modesto suffered from the same kind of passenger service that has frustrated travelers out of Chico, late or cancelled flights to and from San Francisco because of that airport's weather conditions and congestion. Travelers in Modesto complained about expensive tickets.

Like Chico travelers who drive to Sacramento, Modesto travelers can leave from Stockton, which is only half an hour away.

An air service consultant earlier in March talked to members of the Chico Airport Commission and public about how Santa Rosa survived when United canceled commercial service there, leaving it with no service for nearly six years. He warned that could happen in Chico.

Modesto has been trying to get service to Los Angeles, which SkyWest stopped a few years ago.

A consultant group has reported it may have a carrier to provide that north-south service in Modesto by 2015, but has yet to announce the carrier's name.

Members of the Chico Airport Commission have been concerned over Chico's air service, with dropping numbers and a market where travelers often drive to the Sacramento International Airport.

SkyWest announced earlier in the month that its passenger numbers system wide for March had fallen from a year ago.

The Chico Airport Commission meets again April 29, and Ory said he hopes this information catalyzes the commission's drive to help the airport. Commissioners have been discussing at their quarterly meetings what can be done to revitalize the airport.

Ory said he hopes this adds momentum to conclusions the Airport Commission has drawn regarding the need to update market information regarding air travel from Chico. That information could be used to attract other carriers to Chico.

Chico Mayor Scott Gruendl, who provided Ory the news about Modesto, said he supported updating various studies about air passenger habits. He said he hopes for some public-private partnership similar to what developed with the retail study that was funded by a local bank with support from the city and Chico chamber.